What Is the Question About?
A 40-minute Kindergarten lesson on naming which part of social studies a question belongs to.
What Is the Question About? is a free 40-minute Kindergarten to Grade 2 social studies lesson plan for Common Core standard D1.2.K-2 — name the social studies ideas a big question is about. It is timed across 5 sections, gives the exact wording to use where the wording carries the mathematics, names 3 misconceptions with the teaching move that addresses each, and ends with an exit ticket and a printable worksheet with its answer key.
- Grade:
- Kindergarten to Grade 2
- Length:
- 40 minutes
- Standard:
- D1.2.K-2
Kindergarten to Grade 2 · Developing Questions and Planning Inquiries
D1.2.K-2
Identify disciplinary ideas associated with a compelling question.
Objective
Students will be able to say which of four topics a question belongs to.
Students are successful when they can
- Names the topic a question belongs to.
- Gives a reason for the choice.
- Notices a question that fits two topics.
What you need
- Four topic signs: rules and leaders, maps and places, long ago and now, money and shops
- Twelve question cards
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up — four corners
5 min- Put a topic sign in each corner. Read each aloud.
- Give one obvious question and have the class point at a corner.
Teach — the words in the question tell you
13 min- Read 'who decides the school rules?'. Underline 'decides' and 'rules'.
- Those words point at the rules corner. Say so.
- Read 'where is the park?'. Underline 'where'. That points at maps.
- Read 'what did children wear long ago?'. Underline 'long ago'.
- Then read one that fits two — 'who built the old bridge?' — and put it between two corners.
“Look for the word that tells you. Where, when, who decides, how much.”
Guided practice — walk to the corner
12 min- Read a question. Everybody walks to a corner.
- Ask two children in different corners to say which word decided them.
- Do eight questions, including two that fit two corners.
Independent practice
8 min- Students complete the which-topic page.
- Read each question aloud.
Close
2 min- Give one question. Take the corner and the word that decided it.
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Chooses a topic from a word that is not doing the work.
Why: 'School' appears in a question about maps and pulls them to the rules corner.
Fix: Ask what the question is actually asking for. A place, a time, a rule, or a price.
Insists every question has one home.
Why: The four corners imply it.
Fix: Stand between two corners on purpose, once. Questions that span topics are the interesting ones.
Guesses without reading the whole question.
Why: The first word is often enough to guess from.
Fix: Read it twice before moving. The second reading is where the deciding word gets noticed.
If they are not there yet
- Two corners rather than four.
- Highlight the deciding word in advance.
If they finish early
- Write a question for a named corner.
- Find a question that fits three corners.
- Say what a fifth corner might be called.
Exit ticket
Which topic is 'how much does the bus cost?' about? Which word tells you?
What to look for: Money and shops, and 'cost'. A correct corner with no word means the underlining step needs repeating.
Printable practice for D1.2.K-2
Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.
- Which Topic Is It?Circle the topic each question belongs to.
Questions about What Is the Question About?
How long does the What Is the Question About? lesson take?
40 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 13 min, guided practice 12 min, independent practice 8 min, close 2 min. The minutes are stated per section and add up to the stated length, so the plan can be cut or extended at a section boundary rather than abandoned halfway.
Which standard does What Is the Question About? teach?
D1.2.K-2 — D1.2.K-2, Developing Questions and Planning Inquiries for Kindergarten to Grade 2: “Identify disciplinary ideas associated with a compelling question.” In plain terms, name the social studies ideas a big question is about.
What do I need to teach this lesson?
Four topic signs: rules and leaders, maps and places, long ago and now, money and shops, twelve question cards and the printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan. Everything listed is either ordinary classroom equipment or a free printable from this site — there is nothing to buy and nothing to prepare beyond photocopying.
What mistakes should I expect in this lesson?
Three, each a reasoning error rather than carelessness: chooses a topic from a word that is not doing the work; insists every question has one home and guesses without reading the whole question. The plan gives the thinking behind each one and the teaching move that addresses the thinking rather than the symptom.
How do I know whether the lesson worked?
The exit ticket asks: “Which topic is 'how much does the bus cost?' about? Which word tells you?.” Money and shops, and 'cost'. A correct corner with no word means the underlining step needs repeating. That tells you whether the class needs a reteach or a thirty-second conversation before you plan tomorrow.
Is there a worksheet to go with What Is the Question About??
Yes — 1 printable D1.2.K-2 worksheet, linked at the end of the plan and free like the rest of the site. Each one comes with an answer key and 25 versions, so the practice after the lesson can be a different paper on every desk.
Is What Is the Question About? free to use?
Yes. The plan, its printables and their answer keys are free to read, print and photocopy for your own class, with no account and no email capture. It was last reviewed on 7 September 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.
Last reviewed 2026-09-07. Aligned to D1.2.K-2 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.